The present invention relates in general to hardware for computer systems, and, in particular, to a drawer for mounting a keyboard, a flat panel display and an electronic switch within a server system rack.
Server system racks have been provided for housing equipment, such as network server systems, telephone switch gear, power supplies, and the like. Industry standards have been adopted for server system racks, including adopting of a standard unit size for vertical heights, horizontal widths and horizontal depths of system racks. One such standard size for racks is a width of nineteen inches. The vertical height of components for installing into server system racks is typically expressed in terms of a standard vertical unit of measure xe2x80x9cUxe2x80x9d which corresponds to 1.75 inches. Various components have been secured to the server system racks using threaded fasteners, which have included bolts and screws that require hand tools to secure the various components to the server system racks. Components can be assembled to server system racks much more quickly and efficiently without using fasteners that require hand tools. Such components for securing within server system racks have included input devices, such as keyboards, and output devices, such as video display monitors. Prior art keyboards and display monitors can occupy large amounts of space in server system racks. Recently, flat panel displays have been used to provide display monitors of smaller size for mounting within drawers of server system racks. The flat panel displays have been pivotally mounted to the drawers, such that the monitors may be disposed in a horizontal position for storage, and then raised to an upright position for viewing once the drawer is pulled outward of the server system rack. Input and output devices, such as keyboards, mice, touch pads and display monitors, are connected to the servers used in a server system rack to allow users to access the servers.
A one-U vertical height monitor and keyboard drawer for a server system rack includes a movable tray and an electronic switch. The moveable tray and the electronic switch are mounted to the server system rack by a set of mounting rails, which are self-adjusting. Telescoping slide assemblies are mounted to the mounting rails and slidably secure the tray to the server system rack for moving from an inward position, disposed within the rack, to an extended position, extending outward of the rack. A keyboard and a flat panel display are mounted to the tray, with the flat panel display being pivotally mounted to the tray for moving from a downward, storage position into an upright, viewing position. The electronic switch is fixedly mounted to the mounting rails, rearward of the tray, such that the electronic switch is stationary with respect to the mounting rails and the server system rack. The electronic switch is preferably secured to a stationary mount, such as a shelf or mounting bracket, which is secured to the mounting rails. The electronic switch is selectively operated to connect the keyboard and the flat panel display to various ones of the keyboard and monitor connectors of respective servers.
A plastic, molded, flexible cable management arm is secured between the rear of the tray and the electronic switch for securing cabling which connects the electronic switch to the keyboard and the flat panel display. The flexible cable management arm is preferably formed of a single piece of molded plastic, with hinges molded directly into the single piece of molded plastic. The hinges are provide by oppositely disposed grooves, formed in opposite sides of hinge regions of the single piece of molded plastic. Cable retention tabs are integrally molded into the single piece of molded plastic to define L-shaped tab members. Adjacent ones of the cable retention tabs extend from alternating ones of opposite edges of the single piece of molded plastic, with outer portions of the tab members extending across the single piece of molded plastic, spaced apart from a main body portion of the molded plastic cable management arm. Apertures are formed into the main body of the single piece of molded plastic, with one of the apertures being disposed adjacent to each of the cable retention tabs.
Mounting brackets with toolless fastening are included as part of self-adjusting mounting rails which secure the drawer to the server system rack. The mounting brackets have elongated bodies for slidably securing to respective mounting rails. The brackets and the mounting rails extend between posts of a rack frame of the server system rack. Latch members are slidably secured to respective ones of the mounting brackets to provide a toolless fastening feature, for lineally moving with respect to the elongated bodies of the brackets to selectively secure ends of the mounting rails to the rack frame. The latch members may be provided by plungers having tapered surfaces. Guide surfaces slidably engage the latch members and retain the latch members for moving in lineal directions with respect to the mounting brackets and the mounting rails to which respective ones of the latch members are slidably secured.